On Lynchings (Paperback)

~ Ida B. Wells-Barnett (Author), August Meier (Designer) "The resurgence of scholarly interest in the long and productive career of Ida B.Wells-Barnett (1862-1931) is long overdue..." (more)
Key Phrases: New Orleans, Miss Willard, Robert Charles (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"could serve as text in classes of history and race relations...highly recommended for all academic and larger library collections." -- Counterpoise --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Description

Though the end of the Civil War brought legal emancipation to Blacks, their social oppression continued long afterward. The most virulent form of this ongoing persecution was the practice of lynching. During the 1880s and 1890s, more than one hundred African Americans per year were lynched, and in 1892 alone the toll of murdered men and women reached a peak of 161.

In that awful year, Ida B. Wells (1862-1931), the editor of a small newspaper for Blacks in Memphis, Tennessee, raised one lone voice of protest, charging that White businessmen had instigated three local lynchings against their Black competitors. In retaliation, her editorial office was ransacked and she was forced to flee the South and move to New York City.

So began a crusade against lynching that became the focus of Wells-Barnett's long, active, and very courageous life. In New York she published "Southern Horrors," her first pamphlet on the subject. Later, after moving to Chicago and marrying lawyer Ferdinand Barnett, she brought out the pamphlets "A Red Record" and "Mob Rule in New Orleans." Anticipating possible accusations of distortion, she was careful to present factually accurate evidence and she deliberately relied on Southern White sources as well as statistics gathered by the "Chicago Tribune."

All three of these documents are here collected. Wells-Barnett's work remains important to this day not only as a cry of protest against injustice but also as valuable historical documentation of terrible crimes that must never be forgotten. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Ayer Company Publishers (August 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0881431184
• ISBN-13: 978-0881431186
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,114,100 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE WHOLE TRUTH, June 22, 2008

By	F. I. Khattab "F. I." - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: On Lynchings (Classics in Black Studies) (Paperback)

This is another book ÄBOUT TIME!" The truth to be known about this heroic lady, and how times haven't changed. This is a book that should be required reading in schools.

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars 7 / 10, December 10, 2008

By	J Alvi (San Diego) - See all my reviews

This review is from: On Lynchings (Classics in Black Studies) (Paperback)

A decent read. Though I enjoyed much of her story, and admired her crusade, I admittedly tired of the many letters written to her that she included. So the way that it was written did make for an eye sore at times, however this does not diminish her own story or who she was, her great struggles, and her steadfast beliefs in what she stood for.